Sweden December 2019

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV wins Models trophy, but Kia wins Manufacturers again

We start the year end wrap up with Sweden, with the local plug-in market up 39% in 2019, with 40.399 units, and the 2019 PEV Share ending at 11%, a significant jump over the 8% of 2018 and the first time the final share goes North of the 10% mark. 

Meanwhile, the mainstream market remained stable in 2019 (+1%), but whenever a plugin market is regularly at over 10%, the mainstream market starts to suffer and decline, as people move away from regular petrol/diesel vehicles, so expect the same to happen in Sweden throughout 2020.

BEVs duplicated their share to 4% in 2019, with the final quarter of the year pulling plugin hybrids to positive numbers, ending the year with 7% share, up 1% regarding the previous year. As such, pure electric models increased their share within plugin sales to 39%.

With the Bonus/Malus tax system penalizing even further the most polluting models in 2020, along with greater availability of new plugins, expect both BEVs and PHEVs to thrive, stealing sales from regular diesel and petrol vehicles.

Speaking of Diesel, the demise of this fuel continues, with only 32% of sales in 2019, a 6% share drop from 2018. At this pace, diesel sales should be dead by 2024...

Looking at December Best Sellers, the VW Passat GTE won the last trophy of the year, its third win in a row, placing it as a/the favorite for the 2020 models title.

Interestingly, there are two Teslas in the Top 5, with the Model 3 in the runner-up spot, with 602 units, while the Model S ended December in 5th, with a record 286 deliveries, an amazing feat, considering it is a model on sale here since 2013, and it has to compete with the younger and cheaper Model 3...Interestingly, the Model X also scored a record result, with 145 units, so one wonders if the Model 3 wouldn't also be able to score a record score here, if Tesla Netherlands wasn't stealing units from other countries...Something to be cleared in the first quarter of 2020.

Volvo also shined last month, placing 3 models in the Top 7, besides the record 362 units of the #4 Volvo S/V60 PHEV, the Swedish car maker also managed to place the S/V90 PHEV twins in #6, with a record 259 units, and the XC90 PHEV yacht in #7, with 241 registrations, also a record score, making 3 record performances in the Volvo lineup.

Pl	Model	Sales
1	VW Passat GTE	702
2	Tesla Model 3	602
3	Mit. Outlander PHEV	430
4	Volvo S/V60 PHEV	362
5	Tesla Model S	286

Looking at the 2019 ranking, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV took profit from the WLTP issues of the VW Passat GTE to break the three times winning streak of the German model and win its first models trophy since 2015, but with the German midsizer back on track, it will be difficult for the Mitsubishi SUV to retain the title in 2020. 

The remaining podium places went for the Tesla Model 3, that was the only model to threaten the Mitsubishi win, but still, the Tesla midsizer won the Silver medal and became the Best Selling BEV in this market, which is not bad for a landing year...Better luck in 2020?

In Third we have the Kia Niro PHEV, that despite a self-inflicted slow year end, still managed to win the Bronze medal.

A few last minute changes happened, the main news being the 4 spots jump of the VW Passat GTE, to #6, while the Tesla Model S reached #10, while Volvo's flagships, the S/V90 PHEV twins and the XC90 PHEV, both jumped two positions each, to #13 and #16, respectively.

The remaining changes in the Top 20 benefited BMW, with the 225xe A. Tourer climbing to #19, while its 330e sibling joined the ranking in #18.

Outside the Top 20, a reference to the record 117 registrations of the Hyundai Kona EV, it seems the local Hyundai importer has finally woken up to plugins, while the BMW X5 PHEV scored 108 units, its second record performance in a row, so it seems the Volvo XC90 PHEV will have a strong conpetitor in 2020, in the full size SUV category.

In the manufacturers ranking, Kia (19%, down 4%) repeated the 2018 Best Seller trophy in 2019, while Tesla (14%) ended in the runner-up spot (its first podium spot), after a close race with Volvo, also with 14% share, and Mitsubishi stayed in 4th, with 12% share. 

As this is a final year edition, we highlight a few secondary awards:

Best Selling BEV: Tesla Model 3 - More than doubling the result of the 2018 winner, the Nissan Leaf, the Californian took BEVs to new heights, becoming the first pure electric model to reach a podium position in 4 years;

Best Selling Small PEV: Renault Zoe - The French model kept the Best Seller status among the smaller sized plugins and despite a generation change, it almost doubled the result of its BMW i3 rival, improving by 22% the 2018 score;

Best Selling Full Size PEV: Tesla Model S - This time the Californian managed to beat the local heroes Volvo S/V90 PHEV, and despite its veteranship, it still managed to increase the last year score (877 units) by 54%, to 1.353 units;

Best Selling LCV: Renault Kangoo ZE - The French model won another category title, with 731 units, a big improvement over the 417 units of 2018, but this time the #2 Nissan e-NV200 was just 200 units behind.

Looking at 2020, it promises to be an entertaining year, the 2019 Best Selling PEV will have a hard task to keep the crown, not only the three times winner (2016/17/18) VW Passat GTE is back in full speed, but the Tesla Model 3 will surely build on the current success to go after #1.

Regarding share, with sales expected to grow fast and the mainstream market set to shrink this year, the share will increase significantly, possibly going north of 20% by year end.

Sweden November 2019

"Bam!!! Here i am!..." - said the unassuming Passat PHEV...

VW Passat GTE returns with a bang (2nd chapter)

The local plug-in market was up 37% YoY, to 4.166 registrations, leading to a 14% share for plugins, pulling the 2019 PEV share to 12%. 

Looking at last month fuels break down, we see the never ending slide of Diesel sales (29% share, versus 34% a year ago), petrol was also slightly down (45% vs 47%), while BEVs were also down (3% vs 5%), while on the flipside, PHEVs jumped from 7% to 11% share, HEVs (mild + full hybrids) were also up, from 7% to 10%, and even Ethanol and CNG have risen from irrelevance (0% share), to 1% share each...

At this pace, Diesel sales could be dead by the mid 2020's, with petrol living on for another decade. 

Looking at last month Best Sellers, the three times Best Seller ('16, '17 and '18) VW Passat GTE scored a record 861 units in only its 2nd full month on the market, doubling the registrations of the #2 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, while in 3rd we have the only BEV in this Top 5, with the surprising Nissan Leaf scoring 224 units, its best result since January, so it seems the 62 kWh version is helping to stop the sales bleeding. 

Another surprising presence was the 5th spot of the new BMW 330e, scoring 168 registrations, which should also help it reach a 2019 Top 20 position in December.

To end the midsize trilogy, the Volvo S/V60 PHEV twins were #4, with 181 units, proving that the company car business is alive and well.

Pl	Model	Sales
1	VW Passat GTE	861
2	Mit. Outlander PHEV	432
3	Nissan Leaf	224
4	Volvo S/V60 PHEV	181
5	BMW 330e	168

On the 2019 ranking, there is not much to talk about on the top positions, apart from the fact that the leader Outlander PHEV profited from (another) slow month of the Tesla Model 3 (the Netherlands are starving other European markets...) to open a gap of 700 units between them, so the Japanese SUV is the favorite for the 2019 title, which would be its first title since 2015, ending a 3 year rule of the VW Passat GTE. 

The most important table change was of course the VW Passat GTE shooting to #10, with the German midsizer now aiming for the 5th or 6th spot next month.

Other changes in the ranking were the Nissan Leaf climbing one position, to #7, while the Volvo XC90 PHEV returned to the Top 20, in #18, thanks to a record 161 registrations, making it four Volvo's in the Top 20...Now, if only the new baby Volvo, the XC40 PHEV (70 units last month), managed to reach a place in the table, then we would have 100% of the Volvo lineup in the table...

But it wasn't only the Swedish carmaker to have a good month, BMW saw several good performances across the lineup, the 530e is profiting from the new AWD version to score a record 104 units, the 225xe Active Tourer registered a record 103 units, while the Mini Countryman PHEV recorded a year best performance of 107 units.

Outside the Top 20, a reference to the Hyundai Ioniq Electric, that registered a record 114 units last month, proving once again the age old formula: bigger battery = bigger sales, something that can also be said about the BMW X5 PHEV, that scored a record 88 units right on its first full sales month.

In the manufacturers ranking, Kia is on its way to revalidate the 2018 title, with 23% share, with Tesla (14%, down 1%) and Volvo (14%) running for the runner-up spot, while Mitsubishi (12%), is waiting for a slip up from the two in front, to win the Bronze medal.

Midsize Car Best Sellers

Pl	Model	Nov. Sales
1	Volvo S/V60	1.945
2	VW Passat	1.446
3	BMW 3-Series	512
4	Audi A4	509
	Mercedes C-Class	234

With the Tesla Model 3 in an off month, we have one model with a large degree of electrification, with runner-up having 60% of its sales coming from the PHEV version, while the leaders Volvo S/V60 have just 9% of sales coming from its PHEV versions, a great deal worse from the other two remaining electrified models, the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class, both with 33% of sales coming from the PHEV versions. 

Which leaves the Audi A4 as the only unplugged model...Until when?

Midsize SUV Best Sellers

Pl	Model	Nov. Sales
1	Volvo XC60	1.164
2	Mitsubishi Outlander	455
3	Mercedes GLC	246
4	BMW X3	178
5	Audi Q5	147

The Midsize SUV category is electrified in various degrees, from the 13% PHEV share of the leader Volvo XC60, to the 95% of the Mitsubishi Outlander, passing by the 35% of the Audi Q5.

the Japanese SUV performance begs the question: When will Mitsubishi make the Outlander an entirely plugin model?

Anyway, 3 electrified models out of 5 is already something...

Full Size Car Best Sellers

Pl	Model	Nov. Sales
1	Volvo S/V90	1.192
2	Audi A6	430
3	BMW 5-Series	383
4	Mercedes E-Class	285
5	Tesla Model S	104

The leaders Volvo S/V90 have a low 9% share of sales coming from its plugin versions (When will the Swedes invest more in their PHEVs?), while the Mercedes E-Class hit a strong 41%, and even the #3 BMW 5-Series reached 27%.

Finally, the Tesla Model S delivered 104 units, allowing it a 5th spot and making 4 electrified models in the Top 5...Not bad, eh?

Full Size SUV Best Sellers

Pl	Model	Nov. Sales
1	Volvo XC90	327
2	BMW X5	120
3	VW Touareg	95
4	Mercedes GLE	67
5	Tesla Model X	51

The full size SUV category has relatively low volumes in Sweden (who would have thought, right?), but it is also increasing its electrification share, with the leader Volvo XC90 growing its PHEV share to 49% last month, all while the runner-up BMW X5 increased significantly its electrification share (73% of sales!) last month.

With the new long range PHEV version of the Mercedes GLE set to land soon, and the Tesla Model X continuing to be a regular feature, the VW Touareg will soon become the only unplugged model among the Best Sellers.

For how long, Volkswagen?